All schools celebrated National School Lunch Week from Oct. 5 to 9 with nutritious, carnival-inspired meals.

The national celebration recognizes school meals and the people who serve them every day. Each year brings a new theme, and this year's is "Carnival in the Cafeteria." Students will be on fall break during the official week, so Douglas County celebrated one week early.

"We're bringing the excitement of the carnival into our schools!" said Danielle Freeman, executive director of School Nutrition.

Elementary students ate pretzel hot dogs on Monday and wings on Wednesday. Middle and high school students ate bacon ranch chicken burgers on Monday and chili cheese fries on Wednesday. Students will finish the week with cinnamon sugar churros on Friday.

Cafeteria employees enjoyed participating in the activities and decorating their serving areas and dining rooms to create a carnival setting.

"Our cafeteria staff has been decorating to create a fun carnival atmosphere so students can truly feel like they're part of the celebration," Freeman said.

The week also recognized the employees who prepare and serve meals every school day. Freeman said the celebration gave the school system a chance to "celebrate school meals, recognize the people who work behind the scenes to provide them, and show students that school lunch can be nutritious, exciting, and fun."